There is no such thing as a “Straight-away Target”
Posted On: 07-23-2024
So many times, I walk through the five stations with youth shooters and ask the questions as follows:
- On station I a hard right is what?
- On station V a hard left. Is what?
I often wait for a response and after some encouragement will get a simple answer to both, “a straight away.”
No way to change this and no other way to think about it, those targets are called straight aways. Of course, it is always possible to get a straight away on any station, so a little conversation per the title is warranted here.
One must understand the trap house throwing machine and how it works. Kinda like above, another question I ask is how far right and how far left can a target be thrown? Again, after some hesitation and with encouragement I get all to agree 22.5 degrees left of center and 22.5 degrees right of center. If a center existed at any station this would be a straight away. The thrower is oscillating back and forth with a throwing arm cocked and ready to release a target. That throwing arm typically cocks in a counterclockwise motion and when releasing the target allows that target to slide along the edge of the throwing arm. As the target slides and is being released the throwing arm imparts a clockwise spin on the target. This is fundamental to a target flying. If no spin were present the target wouldn’t fly.
So, for the most part all targets have this clockwise spin and therefore are trying to bend to the right. The longer the target is in the air the more it bends right. A straightaway and those targets close to being straight should be recognized not as a straight away, but rather as a bending right target. We just can’t see this on a hard right or hard left when the target flight is more perpendicular to us, but we can see the spin push a hard right more than a hard left. That is why a hard right target on station V has slightly more lead.
So, we have something we call a straight away, but now we know better so how do we hit more straight away targets? First get on them faster before they start to bend right and second if you are a holding slow shooter get that lead slightly right. Nothing to it, but we often miss the easy straight away targets because we do not understand how they are actually flying.
Next time at the range watch targets, get your coach to put the squad behind a locked house and watch the straight targets fly. Soon enough these will be your go to and most hit target.